November 10, 2009

Organizing Wire, Connecting Volume Pots and Switch

Guitar Circuit Wiring Electronics, Video 51

Here is part 3 of the video series on wiring up guitar electronics.

In this video, I talk about how to lay out wires in a semi-hollow body so they aren’t ugly through the f-holes, using shrink wrap tubing to keep things organized. I also show how to connect a volume pot, soldering the braided shield of a wire to the back of a volume pot that already has other wires connected to it (using needle nose pliers as a hold-down). Lastly, I start wiring up the switch, and show what to do if you’ve lost track in the tubes of which wires are which. If your multi-meter doesn’t have continuity mode (beeps when a connection is made), you can just use resistance mode and look for connections on 0 resistance. Another idea to avoid confusion is to use different colored wires for each volume pot, or try to label them before running them through the tubes.

51 Comments

Paul David
December 17, 2009 @ 6:29 pm

I’m trying to wire up a switch and I’m a little confused. It’s a
switchcraft LP style switch and it has 5 little prongs. I’m just wiring two
pickups and it would be great if you could help me figure out the
connections.

Reply
John
December 29, 2009 @ 9:02 pm

You don’t need to get an official Gibson branded one, if that’s what you
mean. Those are pricey. Switchcraft makes good replacements at about half
the price. Be sure to open up the guitar to check the style of the switch.
I believe SG’s require a right-angle switch. For example, Switchcraft part
number EP-4365-000

Reply
artofshredding1
January 11, 2010 @ 2:35 pm

hey thanks for all these helpful videos! i’m putting two humbuckers in my
guitar and need a 3-way pickup selector. All of the wiring diagrams i’ve
seen show 3 prongs coming off the 3-way pickup selector, but the only 3-way
switches i can find have 4 prongs on them. How would i go about wiring this?

Reply
artofshredding1
January 12, 2010 @ 2:40 pm

@johnplanetz thanks alot!

Reply
Josh Kezzer
February 15, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

Hi, um I need to replace pots for my Epiphone Les Paul… it has four pots.
Where would I buy these.. and would you recommend I do this myself or
should I find a professional I have no soldering experience whatsoever D:

Reply
John
February 15, 2010 @ 8:31 pm

You’ll need to balance the cost for tools (like soldering iron, pliers,
etc) and energy/time to practice and learn, versus paying a guitar tech to
do the work. If you think you’ll do more electronics projects later, then
this is a great chance to get started! You can find pots at many online
stores, like allparts, guitarfetish, guitarpartsresource, and electronics
sources like mouser and digikey. And you can sometimes find them in-store
at GC. Good luck!

Reply
John
February 28, 2010 @ 8:06 pm

Sounds like a fun project! Look at the wiring diagrams at the
guitarelectronics website. There’s several diagrams for HB/SC/HB with one
vol and one tone. There’s many other diagrams there you can refer to for
ideas. Good luck!

Reply
John
March 1, 2010 @ 7:22 am

If you want to DIY, you’ll need to learn some fundamentals. You’ll need to
read a book or two. But learning by experimentation is really key for good
understanding. I have some good beginner’s book and resource
recommendations in the FAQ at my blog. Good luck!

Reply
peake1
March 1, 2010 @ 7:43 am

The only thing i’ve done prior to this is a switch from a single coil to a
humbucker on a strat, which I did by studying the existing wiring and
working it out. I have a guitar with the HB/SC/HB set up like the one I
want on my custom, should I just wire it the same way?

Reply
John
March 1, 2010 @ 10:04 pm

You could use the same pots as in your other guitar, if you’re happy with
them. See my other vids on selecting and understanding pots, tapers, etc.

Reply
mjdoherty4
March 6, 2010 @ 9:31 pm

great stuff ! i am installing a telecaster alnico bridge pickup. it has a
blue wire and yellow wire. on the blue wire there is a tab. does that get
grounded to the body or the bridge ? thanks.

Reply
mjdoherty4
March 9, 2010 @ 1:07 pm

it just kind of loops off of the pickup and has a tab on it. so i screwed
it to the body. but the rest of the blue wire continues to the controls
where i soldered it to the pot. sound right?

Reply
iggypoprocks1337
March 18, 2010 @ 10:29 pm

lol helpful but he kept saying ‘now watch as i heat the pot’ L LO LOL LO L

Reply
redoubt9000
March 22, 2010 @ 3:52 pm

I’m having trouble wiring up my 3-way switch

It has four lugs on each side of the wafer, I can’t refer to my old switch as it’s a completely different one heh

I’m looking at the wiring diagrams and they show one wire, from any of the pots, and they split to connect to one lug on switchseach side. For example a wire leading from the left most lug of a volume pot, splits, and connects to the very top right lug and very bottom left lug on the switch. Is this a hot and ground wire being connected?

Reply
bozzy168
March 23, 2010 @ 11:49 am

great video’s, have been really helpful to me. where does ground wire from the switch go to?

Reply
broeder6x6
March 28, 2010 @ 4:26 am

ohh god, lots of work inside!!
not sure if i should do this.
do i have to have shielded wire?

Reply
John
March 28, 2010 @ 10:23 am

For short runs of wire, it’s not so important. But you should try to use
shielded wire for longer runs.

Reply
sixstringsmark
April 30, 2010 @ 5:58 pm

You’re so neat and organized that it makes my own wiring jobs look deplorable! Nice work however 🙂

Reply
easypsphacking
September 10, 2010 @ 12:10 am

When soldering to the switch, would I solder the braded shield to the top lug? In my diagram, the top lug is running to ground, so is that where the braded shield would connect?

Reply
John
September 10, 2010 @ 12:10 pm

@easypsphacking – yes, solder the braided shield to ground.

Reply
thefrenchman555
September 23, 2010 @ 5:41 pm

f hole bahahahaha

Reply
wombweasel222
January 15, 2011 @ 12:43 pm

i have a gibson lespaul copy is it possible to take out 2 of the potts just leaving the volume treble and pickup selector switch and replace them with kill switches like bucketheads signature gibson

Reply
- John
  January 18, 2011 @ 9:56 pm
  
  @wombweasel222 – yes, replacing a volume pot with a switch is simple from a wiring perspective. a volume pot is ground on one side and signal on the other, with the output in the middle. Using a SPDT switch, wire it exactly the same way (ground on one side, signal on other, output in the middle). with the switch on one side, your output is tied to ground (like having the pot turned down to 0). and with the switch on the other side, you’re pickup is connected directly to the output.
  
  Reply
  - klnat8
    March 3, 2011 @ 5:58 pm
    
    @johnplanetz could you do a video on how to do this with two humbuckers 2 tone knobs a 5 way switch and a volume control knob? i have a 1990 jackson rhoads professional and im clueless on how to solder everthing together.
    
    Reply
    - John
      March 4, 2011 @ 1:36 pm
      
      @klnat8 – see my blog at planetz for some articles on humbucker wiring.
      
      Reply
- BlackAngusYoung
  May 3, 2011 @ 8:08 am
  
  @wombweasel222 You may be interested to know there is a product by Shadow called a “kill-pot.” It is a pot that also works as a kill switch when pushed in like a button. I have one on my strat copy and find it very cool. I guess you’d need two on a Les Paul or you could somehow make it a master volume, as I plan to do with my LP one day.
  
  Reply
  - wombweasel222
    May 4, 2011 @ 6:11 am
    
    @BlackAngusYoung ok mate thanks for the information
    
    Reply
mxzvt
March 14, 2011 @ 4:56 pm

sorry im starting on this, ive noticed that pots and the pickup selector have various lugs, how do you know exactly which one you should conect with? thanks for the help! 🙂

Reply
- John
  March 14, 2011 @ 11:35 pm
  
  @mxzvt – best thing you can do is use a multimeter, in resistance mode. hold the two multimeter leads to two of the lugs, and move the pot or flip the switch. then try two other lugs, etc. map it out, and soon you’ll understand what’s connected to what in each switch or pot position. if you don’t have a multimeter, at least buy an inexpensive one. you won’t regret it!
  
  Reply
  - MitjaShi
    October 17, 2011 @ 12:11 pm
    
    @johnplanetz I measured my 500k pots with a multimeter on the 200kohm setting and it showed 14.5. What does this mean? I held the negative lead to the lug which was grounded and the hot lead to the center lug.
    
    Reply
    - John
      October 20, 2011 @ 10:22 am
      
      @MitjaShi – see my video “Potentiometers – How They Work, Disassembly and Exploration”. You need to measure across the two outer lugs to get the overall pot value. if you measure from center lug to outer lug, you’re seeing the resistance based on the current shaft position. Also, if you’re measuring the pot in-place in the circuit, there may be interactions with the other circuit components.
      
      Reply
TheLeftyStrat
April 22, 2011 @ 6:04 pm

0:27 “You dont wanna see a jumble of spaghetti through the f-hole” HAHAH!

Reply
FallenPrey33
April 25, 2011 @ 11:59 am

lmfao “through the f hole”

Reply
zackypooofillinois
May 13, 2011 @ 6:34 pm

hey i hada tone knob die out or something and i was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to get a new one. like where’s a good place to get one. i tried radio shack but nothing said tone knob… lol they had resistors and such but idk what that stuff is. i’m new to this and want to know if there is some sort of technical name for a tone knob or anything like that or am i going to have to resort to the internet.

Reply
david99soad
July 11, 2011 @ 5:57 am

good work 🙂 tnx also for the great tips 🙂 I’m into soldering but with ur help, I’ll have more confidence to make myself a guitar I’m working on 🙂 BTW, after you heat the solder with the soldering iron, the solder cools, not dries XP

Reply
KIDWICKED369
November 12, 2011 @ 4:01 pm

on the switch how do you figure out wich lug is for wich position in a neck bridge and both type configuration?

Reply
- John
  November 13, 2011 @ 8:16 pm
  
  @KIDWICKED369 – if you’re confused about how a switch works, take a multimeter and test for each switch position, which lugs are connected together. It’ll become very obvious, very quickly 🙂 If you’re looking for diagrams, search for “Les Paul Switch Wiring” and you should find some resources. There’s also the guitar wiring diagram archive at the guitarelectronics website.
  
  Reply
MIKMIKOYKOY16
December 22, 2011 @ 9:52 pm

where can i buy those wires? especially the wire use in connecting the input jack?

Reply
- John
  December 26, 2011 @ 10:29 am
  
  @MIKMIKOYKOY16 – there’s many online resources. Stewmac, guitarpartsresource, guitarelectronics, mojotone, allparts, tubedepot, etc. You could also go to the big electronics sites like mouser, digikey, etc, but for those you need a good understanding of what you want..
  
  Reply
muaythai4lifelife
January 11, 2012 @ 12:35 pm

Hi John, as you know on a 2 volume and 2 tone guitar you can decide to make the wiring chosing how to wire the volume controls, independent from each other or having only a master volume when the 3 way selector switch is in the middle position.
I heard the 2 ways of wiring may have different sound result, is it true or is a misconception? Thanx!

Reply
sUop99
January 25, 2012 @ 6:09 pm

thx i just need to re connect my wire, i did something stupid on accident an 2 wires broke

Reply
krisjingle
February 14, 2012 @ 6:39 pm

so, how would i wire up two volumes, two tones , two single coil pick ups (neck and bridge.) i went to Seymour Duncan .com and followed a diagram they had , however some how the volume and tone both turn up and down the sound ……what did i do wrong ? thank you.

Reply
- John
  February 28, 2012 @ 9:26 am
  
  @krisjingle – Sounds like a simple wiring error. Don’t be disheartened- it’s totally normal to make a few mistakes. Just double/triple check each wire connection against your diagram and make sure everything’s where it’s supposed to be. If you want some more diagrams for reference, see the wiring diagram archive at guitarelectronics . com. Also, I often suggest that it’s very useful to connect everything up with alligator leads before soldering to make sure you understand the circuit.
  
  Reply
megatron804
February 24, 2012 @ 2:34 am

I’m using 22 gauge shielded wire…just wondering if you could solder the shielded wire and the striped wire together and then solder it to the lugs of the pots,reason why is because the wire under the shield is very thin once stripped from the rubber.
if this is done would it cancel out any noise eliminating properties that the shielded wire has?

Reply
- John
  February 28, 2012 @ 9:28 am
  
  @megatron804 – no, you should not solder the shield to the inner wire. Use the shield as the ground return, and the inner wire as the signal. As long as the inner wire is sound (you didn’t accidentally cut into it while stripping off its cover), you should be fine. Don’t worry about its thinness.
  
  Reply
EGSerena651
August 10, 2012 @ 1:36 am

;))))

Reply
WsLynnette666
August 13, 2012 @ 4:56 pm

hell yeah!!! )

Reply
uoLora418
August 15, 2012 @ 1:00 pm

solid work

Reply
HipCovers
August 29, 2012 @ 3:17 pm

Hey, I want to hook up a volume switch to a single pickup; that is to say, I want it to be 1. Pickup, 2. Volume Control, 3. Female Jack.
How would I do this?

Reply
- John Cooper
  September 14, 2012 @ 10:26 am
  
  See the guitarelectronics wiring diagram archive. One pickup, one volume: search for WD1H10_00
  
  Reply
LacunaCoilas
October 18, 2012 @ 10:24 pm

In another video i watched, it was about making your own instrument cable they soldered the copper shield to the 1/4 inch jack, and here you are soldering it to the back of the volume pot, why not just cut it off?

Reply
- John
  October 24, 2012 @ 9:00 pm
  
  In the instrument cable, the shield is being used as the return/ground. If you are not using the braided shield as the return, you could snip it off – and it may still provide some resistance to EMI noise. But it’s better to connect it to ground, so any EMI noise the shield picks up will be conducted to ground.
  
  Reply
Mark Nealon
February 17, 2013 @ 10:35 am

This may be a stupid question but, I need to wire up this guitar I’ve made. I have all the components and a wiring diagram came with it. Is it now simply a matter of looking at the diagram and soldering every thing together? or is there more to it that isn’t displayed on the wiring diagram?

Reply
- John
  February 19, 2013 @ 1:13 pm
  
  I guess it depends on the wiring diagram, but yes- that is essentially what you need to do. You might benefit from also looking at the wiring diagrams at the “guitar electronics wiring diagram archive”. These are very complete diagrams.
  Find the configuration that matches your guitar, and compare. That should give you a better comfort level going forward.
  
  Reply
  - Mark Nealon
    February 21, 2013 @ 1:04 pm
    
    Thanks for the info, I’ll check out those diagrams! and great video’s by the way! a lot in them that I didn’t realise!
    
    Reply
IwishIwereJoe
March 5, 2013 @ 11:05 pm

When wiring everything together,is it ok to have all the wire the same color? Is the color mostly just to understand things better?

Reply
- John
  March 8, 2013 @ 1:51 pm
  
  Yes, the color is just to help keep things organized.
  
  Reply
atomicfile2
March 12, 2013 @ 2:20 pm

What solder do you use and percentage

Reply
- John
  March 12, 2013 @ 2:45 pm
  
  60/40 rosin core. I usually use 1/32″ diameter.
  
  Reply
atomicfile2
March 12, 2013 @ 2:48 pm

Kay cool cause im just debating whether to get 63 37 or 60 40

Reply
CursiveBlade
April 1, 2013 @ 9:15 pm

very helpful

Reply
Dirtydrock001
April 23, 2013 @ 7:15 pm

How much would a shop usually get to do everything from a blank body do pots come with pickups please e mail me or anyone that has knowledge about making everything work all I know how to do is play witch is sad [email protected]

Reply
- John
  April 25, 2013 @ 3:20 pm
  
  I don’t know how much a shop would charge to do a complete guitar-build. Probably more than you’d want to spend, but I suppose it depends on the shop, the tech, the guitar, and your location. Unless you’re buying a kit, aftermarket pickups do not come with pots – you need to buy them separately.
  
  Reply
mjt11860
May 19, 2013 @ 8:11 pm

hi. i’ve heard that replacing the stranded w/solid wiring gives a guitar a warmer sound. true? also, how would u go about using copper tape to cut down on hum in a hollow body guitar?

Reply
- John
  May 21, 2013 @ 9:42 am
  
  No, solid core wire will not make your guitar sound different than stranded.
  See the shielding page at the guitarnuts website for info on shielding your guitar.
  
  Reply
nicoll420
November 25, 2013 @ 1:58 am

Solder doesn’t dry…

Reply
Robert Koch
December 19, 2013 @ 8:58 pm

solder cools down not dries speaking of dry wheres my tekillya sunrise

Reply
dontswin
December 17, 2014 @ 6:18 pm

John., Thanks so much your very well detailed! My son busted off the knobs
on the pick guard so…. now I need 2 pots any ideas where I may find them
and are they more or less of same quality if same size? Anything you could
share, this was a custom pickguard with Seymour Duncan (Classic Stack Plus
set) 3 single coils. I do know how to shoulder more or less. Thank you

Reply
chuck jones
April 29, 2015 @ 8:34 am

I just recently been frequenting your website lately PlanetZ.
(which made me revisit some of your older videos) Ive enjoyed the site and
its articles.
thanks for your videos.

Reply

Organizing Wire, Connecting Volume Pots and Switch

51 Comments

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